Sask. farmers to be granted new way to deal with elk causing crop damage

Sask. producers dealing with elk damage may now apply for special depredation permits allowing targeted hunting on affected land.

Producers in Saskatchewan will soon have an additional avenue to deal with the province’s elk population – as some of the animals continue to cause crop damage.

The partnership between the Ministry of Environment and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) was announced Tuesday. The program will consist of eight depredation permits granted to producers who have a “demonstrated history of significant damage from congregating elk.”

The program is set to launch next year.

“We are continuing to explore a variety of options to help reduce damage and the impact on producers’ livelihoods, while ensuring elk populations remain healthy,” Environment Minister Darlene Rowden said in the announcement.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

According to the province, depredation permits are species-specific and are offered outside of the regular hunting season. The tags will be administered directly through SCIC’s damage claims and prevention processes.

The permits will be active between Jan. 15 to March 31, 2027, and can only be used on land where the problems are occurring.

The province noted the permits are not intended to create “open hunting opportunities” but are meant to be issued directly to the producer or a single resident designate to harvest the elk.

Additionally, reporting on harvest success of depredation permits will be mandatory.

“By giving producers another tool to protect the feed and forage they work so hard to grow, this policy helps safeguard farm income, supports animal welfare, and strengthens the long-term sustainability of our rural communities,” SARM President Bill Huber said in the announcement.

“It is an important step in ensuring our producers have the resources they need to stay resilient and continue contributing to Saskatchewan’s agricultural economy.”

‘Long-term sustainability’

The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) shared some of its concerns surrounding the announcement.

The federation called the issuing of tags a “stop gap solution” and outlined worries of illegal outfitting occurring as a result of the program.

“Depredation tags are an allocation of permits to select individuals and do not follow the principle of equitable access to the resource,” SWF said.

“They also raise a concern around illegal outfitting that needs to be recognized and addressed in the roll-out plan to prevent individuals from profiting by the tags that have been allocated to them for the purpose of reducing elk numbers and impacts to feed stores on their property.”

The federation called for more sustainable measures to be implemented, such as the fencing of haystacks to protect winter feed stores and expanding regulated hunting seasons.

The SWF ended off by saying it hopes the SCIC’s verification process follows a factual and science-based approach in order to reduce the impact on Saskatchewan’s elk herds.

“We look forward to working with the Ministry of Environment and providing feedback on a plan for this initiative before the proposed implementation in January 2027,” the organization said. “We want to make sure that concerns are addressed, and that all options are explored to conserve our valuable wildlife resources for future generations.”